David Jones was honored as the Manteca Rotary Law Enforcement Officer of the Year by the Manteca Rotary.

The service club annually honors outstanding officers nominated by their peers in the Manteca Police Department, California Highway Patrol, the San Joaquin County Probation Department, the San Joaquin County Sherriff’s Office, and the San Joaquin County Probation Department.

Jones, a booking officer for the Manteca Department, was nominated by Sgt. Greg Beall.

Jones began his MPD career as a reserve officer in 1994. A year later, he became a school resource officer. He remained in that position until 1998 when he was hired as a per diem dispatcher and became a full-time dispatcher in 2000. Jones maintained his reserve officer status throughout his dispatcher career and became a full time booking officer in 2016.

Jones’s role as a booking officer has made it possible for officers and detectives to focus on their investigations rather than divert their resources to booking, processing and transporting their arrest(s). Beall said Jones is selfless in his duties and constantly finds himself working 16-plus hour days. The sergeant said Jones does so without question and frequently volunteers to assist other officers with their investigations.

 Jones is also one of two tactical dispatchers. Whenever MPD’s SWAT team is deployed, he is called on to act as their primary dispatcher and scribe.

In addition to his dedication and commitment to his regular duties, Jones has been a key stakeholder in the department’s CAD, Mobile and RMS system. He is our main systems tester, programmer and subject matter expert.

Recently, the MPD underwent a huge system upgrade. He worked for two months straight on this project in order to ensure that it was functional by the time the system went live. Without his diligence and commitment, the project likely would have been unsuccessful.

“It’s difficult to express . . .  how valuable he is to the department,” Beall noted. “There are very few officers whose absence would impact as many facets of the PD as Officer Jones. He takes every task to heart and gives 100% of himself to make it successful. In fact, I’ve actually had to order Officer Jones on a number of occasions to end his shift and go home because he was working too many hours. He simply cannot say no to someone in need.”

The annual awards are made in honor of the late Don Asher who served as a municipal court judge as well as being a member of Manteca Rotary. It is done in conjunction with Law Day that falls on May 1.

Typically the club hosts the honorees, their commanding officers, and their families during an awards luncheon. The in-person event was canceled due to the pandemic in favor of being a part of the service club’s weekly Zoom meetings for the next six weeks.

President Eisenhower in 1958 proclaimed May 1 as Law Day.

 The rule of law is the bedrock of American rights and liberties—in times of calm and unrest alike. The 2021 Law Day theme—Advancing the Rule of Law, Now—reminds all of us that we the people share the responsibility to promote the rule of law, defend liberty, and pursue justice.